Punch and die cutout station

ABSTRACT

A cut out station for die cutting a previously laminated elongate web of material dna including a lower die member connected to an upper carriage through a plurality of sliding rods and an upper punch member in vertical registry above the lower die member and in sliding engagement with the sliding rods. The lower die member includes means producing vertical reciprocal motion below the web and the upper punch member includes means producing vertical reciprocal motion above the web. The upper punch member is further being characterized by a resilient mounting construction to cooperate with and to absorb the forces generated by the reciprocal operation of the punch and die members.

mica States Patent [191 11.1 3,724,308

.ijliichols 51 Apr. 3, 1973 541 PUNCH AND DIE CUTOUT STATION 2,589,907 3/1952 Weidenmiller ..s3/14o Inventor: Matthew Nichols, Norristown. Pa. 2,825,405 3/1958 Maass ..83/623 Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz [73] Assignee: Sauter Packaging Company, Souder- Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith ton, Pa. Attorney-Necho and Kimmelman [22] Filed: Sept. 28, 1970 57 ABSTRACT F'P N05 75,969 A cut out station for die cutting a previously laminated elongate web of material dna including a 52 U.S.Cl. .33/557 83/623 83/630 1mm die member carriage [51] In Cl B26d5/08 B26d 5/12 through a plurality of sliding rods and an upper punch [58] Fie'ld 557 g 562 563 member in vertical registry above the lower die member and in sliding engagement with the sliding rods. The lower die member includes means producing vertical reciprocal motion below the web and the [56] References C'ted upper punch member includes means producing verti- UNITED STATES PATENTS cal reciprocal motion above the web. The upper v punch member is further being characterized by a 1,347,486 7/1920 Alien ..83/l76 X resilient mounting construction to cooperate with and 2,466,291 4/1949 --33/140x to absorb the forces generated by the reciprocal 322; operation of the punch and die members.

2 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPM I873 SHEET 1 BF 4 wry/70K.

MATTHEW NICHOLS ATMAWEYJ.

PUNCH AND DIE CUTOUT STATION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the general field of medicinal tablet packaging, and more particularly, is directed to a cutout station capable of cutting an elongate web of material which contains medicinal tablets in spaced recesses into a plurality of individual packages of convenient size.

In the interest of sanitation, speed, accuracy and inventory control, it has become increasingly the practice in institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes to utilize medicinal tablets sealed in blisters formed in a continuous strip of thermoplastic material. When packaging such tablets, it is the usual procedure to preform a plurality of spaced blisters in a strip of thermoplastic material and then to load the medicinal tablets individually therein. After filling, a strip of foil sheet is usually laminated to the top of the thermoplastic strip to seal the medicinal tablets individually within the thermoplastic blisters. The foil layer acts as a readily frangible closure to permit easy access to the medicinal tablets when desired for use. A heat responsive adhesive is employed to affix the foil layer to the thermoplastic layer thereby sealing the tablets within the blisters. The usual thermoplastic blister strip includes a plurality of depending areas or blisters which project below a plane drawn through the top of the elongate web. Prior workers in the field have experienced considerable difficulty in designing and fabricating cut out equipment suitable for use with the depending blisters and capable of functioning at rates sufficient to handle the effluent from high speed medicinal tablet feeding apparatus presently available, as exemplified by my co-pending application entitled, Apparatus for Packaging Medicinal Tablets or the Like", Ser. No. 26,616. Filing date: Apr. 8, 1970. Now issued U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,694. It has been found that presently available equipment cannot be altered to rapidly function with unusual shaped strips such as presented by the depending blisters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to an apparatus designed to die cut continuous webs of laminated materials and more particularly, is directed to a cut out station designed to cut an elongate strip of laminated foil, cardboard and thermoplastic material having depending blisters pre-formed therein, into a plurality of conveniently sized, individual packages.

The present cut out station includes a lower female die member which is vertically reciprocal at right angles to and arranged below the plane of travel of the elongate web of material. The lower die member serves to sever the web into a plurality of individual packages by pressing the laminated web of material upwardly against the upper male punch. Vertically reciprocal means permit the lower die member to ride clear below the bottom of the pre-formed blisters to thereby permit rapid motion of the elongate web through the station during the die cutting operational cycles.

The upper male punch member vertically reciprocates above a plane drawn through the top of the elongate web of material and includes resilient mounting construction. The resilient mounting serves to absorb the shock of repeated impacts of lower die member and upper punch member resulting from the reciprocal die cutting action. A plurality of vertical operating arms connect the lower die member to its upper carriage and pass through the upper male punch carriage in a sliding engagement which permits unobstructed action of both the upper punch member and the lower die member.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for die cutting elongate strips of previously laminated material which have depending blisters pre-formed therein.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cut out station including a vertically reciprocal lower female die member and a vertically reciprocal upper male punch member, the said lower die member and upper punch member functioning in vertical registry above and below an elongate web of previously laminated material.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cut out station incorporating a lower female die member which is vertically reciprocal against an upper male punch member, the upper punch member being resiliently mounted to receive and absorb cyclical pressures from the lower die member.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cut out station incorporating a lower female die member for use with a strip of thermoplastic material having pre-formed blisters depending therefrom, the lower die member being vertically reciprocal below the elevation of the bottom of the depending blisters.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cut out station including opposed lower female die means and upper male punch means in vertical juxtaposition, each of said lower die means and upper punch means being provided with respective vertically reciprocating means.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel cut out station incorporating an upper male punch member which vertically reciprocates above an elongate web of laminated material and a lower die member which vertically reciprocates below the elongate strip of material, the said lower die member having operating means sliding through the said upper punch member.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel cut out station that is rugged in construction, simple in design and trouble-free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of a cut out station in accordance with the present invention looking upstream.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the cut out station taken along Line 2-2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view taken along Line 33 of FIG. 1, and partially broken away to expose interior construction.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along Line 4 4 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is a schematic end elevational view of the apparatus showing the position of the parts in the first stage with both die members reciprocated free of the material being cut.

FIG. 6 is a schematic, end elevational view of the apparatus showing the condition in the second stage when the lower member moves up to engage the material.

FIG. 7 is a schematic, end elevational view of the apparatus showing the condition in the third stage when the upper member moves down to also engage the material.

FIG. 8 is a schematic, end elevational view of the apparatus showing the condition in the fourth stage as the upper member reciprocates away from the top of the web material.

FIG. 9 is a schematic, side elevational view of the apparatus showing the adjacent equipment with the operating parts in the first stage.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view similar to FIG. 9 showing the condition of the web exaggerated for purposes of illustration when the operating parts move to the third stage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of my invention selected for illustration in the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I show in FIG. 1 an apparatus generally designated 10 for die cutting a plurality of individual medicinal tablet packages from an elongate strip of previously laminated, blister preformed material 12. The material web 12 includes a thermoplastic layer 132 which has been pre-formed in well known manner prior to entry into the cut out station to to form a plurality of blisters 14 which depend below the plane of the web 12. A fixed frame 16 carries a lower female die member 18 and an upper male punch member 20 which arrange in vertical juxtaposition respectively below and above the material web 12 for individual package cut out purposes as hereinafter more fully set forth. Both the lower female die member 18 and the upper male punch member 20 are provided with means for vertical reciprocation with respect to the stationary frame 16 for die cutting purposes and also to facilitate the movement of the web 12 with the depending blisters 14 through the apparatus.

The lower female die member 18 reciprocates from a lower position 22 as illustrated in FIGS. ll, 2 and 5 to an upper, die cutting position 24 as illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. The upper cylinder 26 which may be the usual hydraulic or pneumatic type, journals within the frame 16 through the bushings 28 to permit rotative motion of the upper cylinder 26 as it functions the lower female die member 18.

A piston rod 30 operatively connects between the upper cylinder 26 and the crank 32 for lower die member 18 reciprocating purposes. The crank 32 in turn pins to the upper horizontal link 34 at the pivot pin 33 for reciprocation of the upper carriage 36. A pair of a lower links 33, 46 at the respective pivot pins 48, 50

and at the other ends thereof pivotally affix to the upper carriage 36 through the upper pivot pins 56, 58. Thus, operation of the upper cylinder 26 pushes or pulls the crank 32 which in turn energizes the upper horizontal link 34 in a substantially horizontal direction. Movement of the horizontal link 34 causes the lower links 38, 40 to pivot about the cross-head'affixed pins 44, 46 and simultaneously causes the upper links 52, 54 to pivot about the carriage 36 affixed pins 56, 58. Horizontal movement of the link 34 to the left in FIG. I urges the respective upper and lower pairs of links 38, 52 and 40, 54 toward substantial vertical alignment to thus push the upper carriage 36 upwardly away from the stationary cross-head 42. Rotation of the lower links 38, 40 about their respective lower pins 44, 46 causes elevation of the horizontal link 34 and the pin affixed crank 32. The upper cylinder 26 readily compensates for any elevation in the crank 32 by pivoting as required about its frame affixed bushings 28.

A plurality of vertical sliding rods 60, 62, 64, 66 affix to the underside of the carriage 36 and are vertically reciprocal therewith. A plurality of sleeves 68 penetrate the stationary cross-head 42 and receive the rods 60, 62, 64, 66 in sliding engagement therein. The sliding rods respectively vertically depend below the upper carriage 36 and terminate at the bottom of the apparatus 110 in threaded connections 70 to removably receive and secure in well-known manner the female die support plate 72 which in turn carries the lower die member 18. Thus, upon function of the upper cylinder 26, energization of the piston rod 32 serves to reciprocate the upper carriage 36 in response to movement of the upper horizontal link 34. The sliding rods 60, 62, 64, 66 fixedly depend from the upper carriage 36 and reciprocate in unison with the upper carriage 36. Reciprocation of the carriage 36 results in simultaneous reciprocation of the lower female die support plate 72 which is affixed to the bottom of the sliding rods to form a unitary, cooperating structure. It will be observed that the support plate. 72 and the affixed lower die member 18 reciprocate beneath the material web 12 a distance sufficient to clear the bottom of the depending blisters 14 to thereby permit unrestricted longitudinal travel of the web 12 through the cut out station 10.

Referring to FIGS. I and 2, it will be observed that the punch member 20 positions in vertical registry above the lower female die member 18 and is vertically reciprocal with respect to the frame 16 above the material web 12. A lower cylinder 74 of the usual hydraulic or pneumatic type journals within a portion of the frame 16 by means of the lower cylinder bushings 76 for substantially horizontal reciprocation of the piston rod 78 in well known manner. The piston rod '78 pivotally connects to the generally horizontally extending crank 86 in a pivotal connection through the piston pivot pin 82 to thereby impart generally horizontally reciprocating motion to the crank 80 upon function of the lower cylinder 74. An upper punch link 84 pivotally connects at the upper end thereof to the stationary cross-head 42 by means of the upper pivot pin 86 and connects at its other terminus to the horizontal crank 80 in a pivotal connection at the piston pivot pin 82. A lower punch link 88 pivotally affixes at its lower end to the upper male punch member carriage 90 at the carriage pivot pin 92 and at its other end pivotally connects to the upper punch link 84 intermediate its ends through the intermediate pivot pin 94.

Energization of the lower cylinder 74 alternately pushes and pulls the crank 80 causing the pin affixed upper punch link 84 to pivot about the pivot pin 86 which stationarily positions in the stationary cross-head 42. The movement of the upper punch link 84 causes simultaneous pivotal motion in the lower punch link 88 through the upper link affixed intermediate pivot pin 94. The pivotal action of the links 84, 86 occasioned by horizontal reciprocal motion of the crank 80 to the left as viewed in FIG. 1 produces forces tending to push the pivot pins 86, 92 apart as the links 84, 86 approach a straight line relationship. Similarly, motion of the crank 80 to the right in FIG. 1 produces forces tending to pull the pivot pins 86, 92 together as the links 84, 86 position in greater angular relationship. Inasmuch as the upper end of the upper punch link 84 pivots about stationary construction in the cross-head 42, all movement of parts resulting from the forces imposed by operation of the lower cylinder 74 must be compensated by movement of the upper punch member carrier 90. Accordingly, the carrier 90 vertically reciprocates and reciprocally carries the affixed upper male punch member 20 upon function of the lower cylinder 74 between an upper position 87 as in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8 and a lower position 89 as illustrated in FIG. 7.

As best seen in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the upper punch member carriage 90 carries a plurality of discretely positioned sleeves 96 which receive the vertical, sliding rods 60, 62, 64, 66 in respective sliding engagement therein. Function of the upper cylinder 26 vertically reciprocates the upper carriage 36 and the carriage affixed sliding rods 60, 62, 64, 66 which vertically slide with relation to the upper punch member carriage 90 through the sleeves 96 provided therein. Energization of the lower cylinder 74 reciprocates the upper punch member carriage 90 which in turn slides relative to the sliding rods 60, 62, 64, 66 through the respective sleeves 96.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper punch member 20 is illustrated in detail comprising a mating plate 98 which securely fixes beneath the upper punch member carriage 90 in well-known manner such as by the threaded bolts 100. The mating plate 98 carries the punches 102 which affix thereto in well-known manner such as by utilizing a plurality of threaded bolts 104. In accordance with well known die cutting principles, the cooperating dies 18 and punches 20 may be machined to die cut any desired configuration in the material web 12. For example, four similar rectangular packages may be produced during each cyclical operation as indicated by the dotted line configuration in FIG. 3. Thus one cycle of the operating components of the cut station will result in the production of four individual medicinal tablet containing packages.

A stripper plate 106 horizontally positions at the bottom of the punches 102 and serves to strip waste material remaining about the individually punched packets following each die cutting cycle. A pair of laterally spaced blocks 108, 110 secure to the top of the upper punch member carriage by utilizing a plurality of threaded bolts 112. The carriage 90 and the blocks 108, are vertically upwardly drilled or otherwise machined to provide a plurality of vertical recesses 114 to receive the stripper plate coil springs 116 therein. Similarly, the mating plate 98 is drilled to provide a plurality of openings 118 which vertically align beneath the respective recesses 114 and which are drilled to a smaller diameter. A plurality of vertical arms 122 insert upwardly through the openings 118 into the recesses 114 and have vertical reciprocal motion therein. The respective arms 122 terminate upwardly in plungers which position within the vertical recesses 114 below the coil springs 116. Upon each cyclical operation of the operating portions of the cut out station apparatus 10, the interaction of the lower female die member 18 and the upper male punch member 20 when in their respective upper position 24 and lower position 89 (FIG. 7) urges the stripper plate 106 against the waste portions of the material web 12 for waste stripping purposes.

The resilient mounting of the stripper plate 106 provided by the bias of the springs 116 against the respective plungers 120 facilitates the separation of the waste material from the finished medicinal container individual packets. The female die 124 mounts upon its associated mating plate 126 in the usual manner and vertically reciprocates upon the support plate 72 in response to operation of the upper cylinder 26. During the die cutting operation, the stripper plate 106 abuts the solid portion 128 of the die 124 as the punches 102 insert into the dies 124 for positive stripping action. The resilient mounting of the stripper plate 106 facilitates the die cutting and stripping action and serves also to reduce noise, shock and vibration occasioned by repeated cyclical die cutting operations. It should be noted that the openings 118 in the mating plate 98 are drilled to a diameter less than the plungers 120 to thereby prevent the plungers 120 from falling out of contact with the recess retained coil springs 116 during any stage of the station operation.

In operation, a laminated elongate material web 12 comprising, for example, an upper foil layer 130 and a lower, blistered thermoplastic strip 132 having the blisters pre-filled with medicinal tablets, feeds into the die cut station 10 intermediate the lower female die member 18 and the upper male punch member 20. An indexing mechanism (not shown) of well-known design, feeds the material web 12 into the apparatus 10 in measured segments in response to the operation of the cut out station. As illustrated in FIG. 5, when initiating the die cut operation, the lower die member 18 reciprocates to its lower position 22 beneath the center line 134 of the material web 12, leaving sufficient clearance to allow unobstructed passage of the depending blisters 14 above the die member 18. As illustrated, the upper punch member reciprocates to its upper position 87. With the upper punch member 20 and lower die member 18 clear of the web 12, the laminated strip 132, 134 index into the apparatus a predetermined,

spaced distance to most efficiently utilize the web material. Upon completion of the strip indexing step, the upper cylinder 26 activates the horizontal link 34 to push the upper carriage 36 upwardly to the upper position 26. The upper carriage affixed sliding rods 60, 62, 64, 66 pull the lower die member 18 upwardly in the direction of the arrows to engage the bottom of the material web 12. (See FIG. 6). The lower cylinder 74 then functions to push the crank 80 horizontally until the upper and lower punch links 8d, 88 assume a substantially straight angle, vertical alignment to push the punch member 20 to its lower position 89. (See FIG. 7). With the lower die member 18 in its upper position 24 and the upper punch member 20 in its lower position 89, the material web 12 is engaged both by the punch 20 and the die 18 to die cut the web into a plurality of individual packets. Following the die cutting operation, the lower cylinder 74 again activates to pull the crank 80 toward the cylinder 74 thereby shortening the distance between the stationary pivot pin 86 and the movable pivot pin Q2 to pull the upper punch member 90 upwardly away from the material web 12 to its upper position 87 by vertically sliding the carriage 90 relative to the sliding rods 60, 62, 64, 66. (See FIG. 8). The upper cylinder 26 then activates to lower the die member 18 to its lower position 22 as in FIG. to again ready the apparatus for repeated, cyclical operation.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the die cut station 10 is illustrated positioned between the perforating station 136 and the stroke station 138 which close during the cyclical operation of the die cut station 10 to clamp the web 12 therebetween. In performing the die cut operation, the lower die member 18 pushes the material web 12 slightly above the center line 134 to slightly stretch the web material between the perforating station 136 and the stroke station 138. When the machine makes its cyclical index, it must first correct for the flexing of the web and then move the web 12 the correct distance to achieve the proper positioning for the next index.

Iclaim:

I. In a Cut Out Station for die cutting an elongate material strip into a plurality of individual packets wherein the strip travels in a horizontal plane through the Cut Out Station, the combination of A. a frame;

B. a lower die member vertically reciprocal within the frame,

1. said lower die member being movable from a lower position to an upper position, a. said lower position being below the plane, b. said lower die member being elevated to the plane when moved to the upper position;

C. first reciprocating means interconnected between the frame and the lower die member to move the die member between its said upper and lower positions,

1. said first reciprocating means including a first hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected to the frame, a first crank reciprocal in response to function of the cylinder and a first interconnected pair of upper and lower links pivotally arranged with respect to the first crank and to eachother a. said first pair of upper and lower links being medially, pivotally connected to the first crank and said pair having an upper end and a lower end,

b. said upper end being pivotally connected to an upper carriage and said lower end being connected to the frame whereby function of the first hydraulic cylinder causes vertical reciprocal movement of the upper carriage,

2. a plurality of vertical rods interconnecting the upper carriage and the lower die member;

D. an upper punch member vertically aligned above the lower die member,

1. said upper punch member being reciprocal from an upper position to a lower position,

2. said upper position being above the horizontal plane,

3. said lower position being lowered to the plane when moved to the lower position,

said upper punch member and lower die member cooperating to mutually contact the strip when reciprocated to their respective lower position and upper position,

5. said upper punch member being provided with a plurality of sleeves, each said sleeve receiving one said vertical rod therein in vertical sliding arrangement therein; and

E. a second reciprocating means interconnected between the frame and the upper punch member between its upper and lower positions,

1. said second reciprocating means including a second hydraulic cylinder pivotably connected to the frame, a second crank reciprocal in response to function of the second cylinder and a second interconnected pair upper and lower links pivotably arranged with respect to the second crank and to each other,

a. said second pair of upper and lower links being medially pivotally connected to the second crank, said second pair having an upper end and a lower end,

b. said upper end being pivotally connected to the frame and said lower end being pivotally to the upper punch member whereby function of the second cylinder causes vertical reciprocal movement of the upper punch member.

2. The invention of claim 1 and first and second pivotal connections respectively pivotally connecting the first and second hydraulic cylinders to the frame, said first and second hydraulic cylinders being respectively pivotal about the pivotal connections from a first position to a second position, said first and second positions respectively corresponding to the upper punch member and the lowe die member. 

1. In a Cut Out Station for die cutting an elongate material strip into a plurality of individual packets wherein the strip travels in a horizontal plane through the Cut Out Station, the combination of A. a frame; B. a lower die member vertically reciprocal within the frame,
 1. said lower die member being movable from a lower position to an upper position, a. said lower position being below the plane, b. said lower die member being elevated to the plane when moved to the upper position; C. first reciprocating means interconnected between the frame and the lower die member to move The die member between its said upper and lower positions,
 1. said first reciprocating means including a first hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected to the frame, a first crank reciprocal in response to function of the cylinder and a first interconnected pair of upper and lower links pivotally arranged with respect to the first crank and to each other, a. said first pair of upper and lower links being medially, pivotally connected to the first crank and said pair having an upper end and a lower end, b. said upper end being pivotally connected to an upper carriage and said lower end being connected to the frame whereby function of the first hydraulic cylinder causes vertical reciprocal movement of the upper carriage,
 2. a plurality of vertical rods interconnecting the upper carriage and the lower die member; D. an upper punch member vertically aligned above the lower die member,
 1. said upper punch member being reciprocal from an upper position to a lower position,
 2. said upper position being above the horizontal plane,
 3. said lower position being lowered to the plane when moved to the lower position,
 4. said upper punch member and lower die member cooperating to mutually contact the strip when reciprocated to their respective lower position and upper position,
 5. said upper punch member being provided with a plurality of sleeves, each said sleeve receiving one said vertical rod therein in vertical sliding arrangement therein; and E. a second reciprocating means interconnected between the frame and the upper punch member between its upper and lower positions,
 1. said second reciprocating means including a second hydraulic cylinder pivotably connected to the frame, a second crank reciprocal in response to function of the second cylinder and a second interconnected pair upper and lower links pivotably arranged with respect to the second crank and to each other, a. said second pair of upper and lower links being medially pivotally connected to the second crank, said second pair having an upper end and a lower end, b. said upper end being pivotally connected to the frame and said lower end being pivotally to the upper punch member whereby function of the second cylinder causes vertical reciprocal movement of the upper punch member.
 2. a plurality of vertical rods interconnecting the upper carriage and the lower die member; D. an upper punch member vertically aligned above the lower die member,
 2. said upper position being above the horizontal plane,
 2. The invention of claim 1 and first and second pivotal connections respectively pivotally connecting the first and second hydraulic cylinders to the frame, said first and second hydraulic cylinders being respectively pivotal about the pivotal connections from a first position to a second position, said first and second positions respectively corresponding to the upper punch member and the lowe die member.
 3. said lower position being lowered to the plane when moved to the lower position,
 4. said upper punch member and lower die member cooperating to mutually contact the strip when reciprocated to their respective lower position and upper position,
 5. said upper punch member being provided with a plurality of sleeves, each said sleeve receiving one said vertical rod therein in vertical sliding arrangement therein; and E. a second reciprocating means interconnected between the frame and the upper punch member between its upper and lower positions, 